GENDER JACKET

As an exploration of my thesis, the jacket was the final in a series of material experiments that looked at giving opposite gender traits to building materials. The jacket was an experiment in applying those previous conclusions on architecture of a smaller scale: creating a gender-neutral body. Unlike architecture, the body has biological differences that distinguish male from female. So in order to mask the gender identity, the skin must be constructed to create volume that will produce a similar effect on all body types, yet adjust to fit those different body types as well.

Using nylons, which have elastic capabilities (a feminine quality), and hold a rigid structure when applied with resin (given masculine capabilities), a skin is created to have an armor like effect. The shoulders and midsection are layered with resin so that the nylon will hold its expanded shape, and mask the areas that most commonly define us as male or female. The joint areas are left in their natural state to allow to adjustment of different body types.

The jacket was displayed at the 12th CSU Symposium on University Teaching.